To Foster Women's Digital Entrepreneurship Policy reform, E-learning in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Namibia and the Republic of Congo.

Terms of Reference for Engaging a Company to Foster Women’s Digital Entrepreneurship through Policymaker Capacity Building, Digital Policy Reforms, E-Learning, and Skills Training Delivery in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Namibia and the Republic of Congo BACKGROUND The Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship among Women in Africa project (Development Account (DA)-18; Code 2629M) is a four-year initiative to be implemented in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Namibia, and the Republic of Congo. The project seeks to remove barriers to women entrepreneurs’ participation in the digital economy and promote inclusive economic growth. As an initial step, the project will prepare an assessment study report covering the four beneficiary countries. The assessment will identify the digital gender gap and the specific challenges women entrepreneurs face in accessing and using digital technologies and financial services. Its findings will provide evidence base for strengthening policymakers’ capacity and guiding the project’s subsequent capacity-building and policy-support activities. Building on the assessment findings, the project will implement two complementary workstreams. The Public Sector Track will strengthen policymakers’ capacity to develop, implement, and monitor inclusive policies, regulatory reforms, and support mechanisms that enable women-led businesses to access digital markets and financial services. It will also provide public officials with practical support to develop actionable reform roadmaps. The Entrepreneur Track will equip women entrepreneurs with practical digital skills, online learning resources, and tools to improve their access to finance and markets and grow their businesses. This approach is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 8, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the General Assembly resolution on women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship (A/RES/77/160), the General Assembly resolution on information and communications technologies for sustainable development (A/RES/77/150), the Global Digital Compact, and the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will implement the project through its Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Division (TICID), in collaboration with the Socio-Economic Development Division (SEDD), ECA Sub-Regional Offices, Resident Coordinator Offices, other Development Account implementing entities, and relevant national partners. To support implementation, ECA will engage a qualified company to design, develop, and deliver capacity-building activities for planned workstreams. Specific Requirements/Information OBJECTIVE The project aims to strengthen the capacity of selected African countries in digitization to advance regional integration under the AfCFTA, empower women entrepreneurs that will lead to enhanced sustainable economic growth across the continent.